Women's Soccer: Targeted Tigers host Harvard

“We are expecting a hard-fought battle this weekend against Harvard,” junior defender and tri-captain Melissa Seitz said. “They are definitely a good team, and every year, it is a good game. It will be important to keep the ball and connect our passes. Our goal is just to go out there and battle.”

Princeton (9-1-2 overall, 3-0-1 Ivy League) will have to do just that to cling to first place. Harvard (8-3-3, 3-1) will come to Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium full of confidence, as the Crimson is riding a five-game winning streak after defeating Holy Cross, 2-1, in its final non-conference game of the season.

The Tigers have a 10-game unbeaten streak that they’ve been building since early September and have yet to lose on their home soil. Though the Crimson holds a 23-8-1 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, the Tigers have won three of the last four contests, the two most recent of which have been at Princeton.

It’s tempting for the Tigers to look past this weekend to a potential Ivy League championship, but they remain dedicated to competing at the highest level each day without peering too far into the future.

“It’s great that we are sitting first in the Ivy League, but that’s not how we are going to look at it going into Saturday’s game. Everyone is up for it. This week of practice has been high in intensity but also really fun. We can’t wait to play,” Seitz said.

The Crimson is an offensive force to be reckoned with, as it has generated 195 shots this season, and eight different players have tallied at least one goal. Melanie Baskind, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week, leads Harvard with 18 points on a team-best six goals and six assists. Katherine Sheeleigh has scored four goals and four assists and is second on the team in scoring. Having notched a goal in each of the Crimson’s last five games, Christina Hagner will also pose a threat on attack.

But Harvard’s defense will to have to contend with senior midfielder Sarah Peteraf, who, after scoring the golden goal in the 108th minute against Columbia, now has eight goals and 16 points on the season. She currently leads the Ivy League with 0.67 goals per game and is third with 1.33 points per game. Six times this season, Peteraf has helped the Tigers to victory, often with late-game heroics in the final stretches of play.

Harvard has alternated its goalkeeping this season between juniors Lauren Mann, who has made 50 saves in nine games and boasts a 1.05 goals-against average, and Laura Dale, who has four wins and only one tie with a 0.42 goals-against average.

For Princeton, sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Pont has consistently outshone her Ivy League competitors in the net. She currently ranks first in goals-against average (0.33), save percentage (.909) and shutouts (seven). Her performance in every game has been near perfect, and her teammates’ confidence in her continues to grow.

Princeton’s defense has been second to none so far this season. Anchored by a veteran corps including Seitz, senior defender and tri-captain Lisa Chinn and senior defender Taylor Numann, the Tigers will be able to meet whatever challenges Harvard presents.

From the numbers alone, Princeton holds an advantage over the Crimson coming into Saturday evening’s game, but nothing is guaranteed. Should the Tigers come away with another win, the target on their backs will grow, but they’ll be one step closer to an Ivy League title.